


To Save a Life

by JeMiChi



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Chiss, Dealing With Guilt, Gen, Odessen, Oni / Lonis / Yal'oni'sodrasi, Ossus, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Rescue Missions, Shaku / Kres'hak'ufsa, Shamyrah, failed rescue attempts, pondering the cost of ending or saving a life, the weight of a life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:41:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28914765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeMiChi/pseuds/JeMiChi
Summary: Basically a companion piece to "Another One". This happens at the same time but is from Oni's point of view as he goes through the events that led them to take Shaku home.This has minor spoilers from the agent storyline and from the expansions - takes place on Ossus and Odessen.
Kudos: 1





	To Save a Life

Oni had wanted to join Shamyrah on her mission to Ossus. The truth was he had insisted on coming. The mission itself wasn't any more or less special to him than the others had been, but he happened to have intel on the planet, the kind of intel that made him take it personally. 

The captain knew. Of course she did. She must have realized it the moment they set foot outside the farm-town and saw the first imperials in the wilderness. Maybe she knew even before that. She had tried to warn Oni that the mission could be hard for him, but she didn't force him to stay behind. 

But seeing just how many there were had taken Oni by surprise. So many people who likely shared his fate, half of them Chiss just like him. Disposable agents that were no longer useful and were seen merely as a nuisance and had been sent to take over Ossus, a planet that had already been ruined by the war and wasn't worth much. 

Oni had wanted to see it for himself. He knew there were others who shared his fate, and he wanted to help them if he could, but the number of agents on the field was overwhelming. 

There was no easy way to confirm if any of these agents had been brainwashed the same way he had been, or if they still remained loyal to the Empire by their free will. For all he knew, every single one of them could have been subjected to the same treatment. 

One thing he knew though, this wasn't a mission that any Chiss would accept willingly, which made him suspect they were indeed victims of brainwashing. Even if he had lost his pride as a Chiss a long time ago, he could at least remember how it was, and Chiss were indeed proud people. 

Of course thinking about saving the agents was idealistic and the reality wasn't as kind. 

They had tried to approach a small group peacefully, but ended up being ambushed by four others who had been hiding in the surrounding area. Oni and the captain had been forced to fight the imperials in order to survive. Now all of those people were dead. Whether they were victims of brainwashing or not, their lives had been ended by his blasterfire. There was no saving them now. It was a dark thought, but nothing new to Oni. A part of his mind thought that maybe death was still better than living trapped inside your own mind while being controlled by others. The thought didn't make it any easier for him to live with. He didn't see these agents as enemies, and neither did the captain. These people could have been like his brothers from the Ascendancy and if he hadn't been there they might still be alive. 

After that battle the captain had placed her hand on his shoulder without a word and they had moved on in silence. 

But even if he couldn't save everyone, as long as he could help someone, that might have made it worth it, at least in some way.  
Oni looked at the sleeping Chiss on the medical bed. Now that his wounds had been sutured, he could actually see what the man looked like. The Chiss was much younger than he had expected. Barely out of school, he found himself thinking. Probably raised in one of the colonies within the Empire. 

But Oni couldn't stay by his side. He shouldn't. He had used the keyword on this person. No matter what was his excuse, he had forced this person to obey his command. The thought made him feel sick. He knew that rationally there had been no other choice and that the Chiss would have used up his remaining strength to fight them and died if he hadn't stopped him. But he remembered what it was like to be forced to obey someone's commands way too well to forgive himself no matter what the reason was.  
The captain had told him that he did the right thing. And the Mandalorian had said it was a good thing the Empire hadn't changed the keywords so Oni was able to do it. But he couldn't feel happy about it. 

Still, unlike the first group, this young agent was still alive. He was severely wounded, but would likely survive. Doctor Lokin was currently preparing him for Kolto treatment and seemed positive about his prognosis. That had to amount to something. 

Oni waved goodbye to the doctor and left the room. 

No one knew what the agent would do after he'd wake up, but he'd leave that decision up to the young man. The good thing about the Alliance was that everyone was welcome no matter where they came from, but no one was forced to stay. Oni could only hope that their peaceful ways could continue and eventually spread through the Galaxy. Maybe it was overly idealistic of an idea, but he welcomed the thought.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. 
> 
> To find out more about the other Chiss, you can read "Another One" here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28860588


End file.
